Programming

Following a months-long coronavirus-imposed production hiatus, the venerable syndicated game show will be back on the air with original episodes beginning Monday, Sept. 14. Among the COVID-related changes: The show’s signature Wheel has been redesigned to allow for six feet of space between host Pat Sajak and each contestant. Additionally, each player is given their own spinning cap — which Sajak has apparently dubbed, “The White Thing.” The cap fits over each spoke so contestants can spin the Wheel without actually touching it.

As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, the virus’ effect on Hollywood is becoming more pronounced. Television development has slowed considerably across broadcast, cable and streaming in recent months. The reason: With production still largely shut down, why would networks and studios buy more projects to develop when they’re unable to produce the shows they are already working on? The result is something of a logjam that will likely persist until production can safely resume on the majority of shows.

Universal Television chief Pearlena Igbokwe (l) has been elevated to head of TV content for NBCUniversal as part of the broader shakeup of NBCU’s senior executive ranks. Bonnie Hammer (r), the NBCU veteran who had been overseeing all TV production, segues into the NBCU vice chairman role that was hastily vacated last month by Ron Meyer.

The controversial Fox News Channel personality had all five of his weeknight programs land in the Nielsen company’s 20 most popular programs last week. Four of them were in the Top 10. For the broadcast networks, NBC, with 2.82 million, narrowly edged ABC’s 2.81 million viewers. CBS had 2.6 million, Univision had 1.3 million, Ion Television had 1.2 million, Fox had 1.17 million and Telemundo had 1.1 million.

Once a Labor Day weekend tradition, the telethon is coming back in October to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and its new host’s Help From the Hart charity.

NBC’s America’s Got Talent this Tuesday delivered 5.8 million total viewers and a 0.7 demo rating, dipping week-to-week yet still leading the night in both measures. Leading out of that, Transplant (3.7 million/0.4) matched its U.S. premiere rating while dropping just a handful of eyeballs.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York City agreed with a federal judge in Connecticut who tossed the lawsuits two years ago, saying many of the claims were frivolous or filed after the statute of limitations expired. Stamford, Conn.-based WWE denied the suit’s allegations.

Fox Television Stations says this new incarnation of the legendary game show — hosted by Jay Leno — “will preserve the show’s trademark humorous interviews and unpredictable banter with each contestant, famously originated by Groucho Marx.”

Will Smith announced Tuesday on his YouTube Channel that the new series has been signed by Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service. “We have just officially closed the deal with Peacock with an unprecedented two-season order from a pitch,” Smith said in the video, which shows him on a virtual call with others including writer/director Morgan Cooper, whose viral video inspired the new series.

On Aug. 31, Nielsen started including out of home viewing in its daily final ratings, which are usually released in the afternoon (or Tuesday morning for Saturdays and Sundays). They also include ratings for cable programs. The “fast national” ratings (overnights) that arrive each morning don’t have either of those. THR will now switch to reporting on the afternoon numbers, which, it says, will provide a better — if still incomplete — snapshot of just how many people watched a given network or cable show the night it aired.

Reports on the two storms — Laura and Marco— along with updates on the pandemic, blistered numerous daytime shows with preemptions in the week ending Aug. 30. On top of that, many programs were bumped for four days of coverage of the Republican National Convention coverage.

The Ellen DeGeneres Show will return to the Warner Bros. lot sans in-studio audience on Monday, Sept. 21. “I can’t wait to get back to work and back to our studio,” host Ellen DeGeneres said in a statement on Tuesday. “And, yes, we’re gonna talk about it.”

It’s an end of an era at Netflix as Cindy Holland (left), who led the streamer’s foray into original programming and helped turn the DVD-by-mail company into an original series powerhouse, will be leaving. A month and a half after longtime Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos was named co-CEO, he is shaking up the streamer’s top TV executive ranks. Netflix’s vast original TV content portfolio had been split between Holland, VP, original content, who has overseen all English-language programming, and Bela Bajaria (right), VP, local language originals, who has been leading non-English TV programming. The two areas are now being combined under Bajaria, who has been named VP, global TV.

In the latest TV ratings, NBC’s American Ninja Warrior Season 12 premiere delivered 3.5 million total viewers and a 0.6 demo rating, down sharply from its Season 11 averages (4.7 mil/0.9) but still good enough to dominate Labor Day in both measures.

A new face is headed to Port Charles. Emmy winner Kim Delaney has joined the cast of ABC’s long-running daytime drama series General Hospital. The role marks somewhat of a return to her roots. Delaney began her career on ABC daytime TV drama All My Children as Jenny Gardner.

Law & Crime Daily, a new first-run daily newsmagazine that examines the day’s most interesting court cases and true-crime events, is set to launch in syndication on Sept. 14, the latest move by entrepreneur Dan Abrams to extend his company’s coverage of legal matters to new media venues. Litton Entertainment and Abrams’ Law & Crime Network are offering the new show

Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu join Barrymore for a Charlie’s Angels reunion the host with longtime friend and co-star Adam Sandler when the new syndicated daytime show premieres on Sept. 14.

The deal covers measurement services for Weigel Broadcasting’s eight stations in Milwaukee and South Bend, Ind.

ViacomCBS Networks International has struck a three-year deal with the National Football League that will bring live Monday night football to the company’s Channel 5 in the U.K.

The Yankees RSN went dark on Sept. 1. Frontier is also at a carriage impasse with Fox Sports RSNs.